Corrugated car end



Jan. 28, 1941. w FRASER 2,229,888

CORRUGATED CAR END Filed July 1, 1958 .2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR ALEXANDER W. FRASER.

ATTORNEYS Jan. 28, 1941. A. w. FRASER CORRUGATED CAR END Filed July 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z7 CUEL DING INVENTOR ALEXANDER w.

FRASER ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE CORRUGATED CAR END tion of Canada Application July 1, 1938, Serial No. 216,994

9 Claims.

The invention relates to a pressed steel panel for use in forming railroad car ends or sides and the invention particularly relates to an improvement in the reinforcing features of car ends of the type which includes intersecting corrugations forming a checkerboard pattern.

The present disclosure constitutes an improvement and development of the structure disclosed in my Patent No. 2,008,640, July 16, 1935, which featured narrow vertically extending post forming corrugations passing continuously over the horizontally disposed girders or beam forming corrugations.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of one piece reinforced sheet metal car end, or similar structural unit, in which intersecting corrugations are disposed to provide the maximum resistance to dis tortional strain and thus provide for maximum strength with the least amount of metal. In

pressed steel car ends of the type under discussion, it is vitally necessary to maintain the initially formed configuration of the horizontally extending beam forming corrugations so that they may resist the distorting effect of the shifting ladings in the car under normal service conditions.

In the prior patent disclosure dependence was placed upon a long, thin, flat, vertically disposed 3 metal stiffening strip secured in the troughs of the vertical corrugations to tie together the top and bottom walls of the several horizontal corrugations and thus to prevent the walls of each corrugation from spreading apart under pressure of the lading in its tendency to belly the car end as a Whole outwardly.

The present disclosure likewise retains the advantages of these vertical reinforcing strips in their function of tying together different parts of the corrugated area and herein suggests a modified structure for enhancing the stiffening effect provided by these reinforcing strips.

Broadly, this aspect of the invention is attained by substituting for the fiat strips of the prior patent showing similar members bent channel shaped and fitted to the opposing walls of one or more of the vertical, post forming corrugations to strengthen each of them for its entire length.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple form of tubular post for contributing additional strength to resist bending of the panel about all horizontal axes.

Still having for an objective the concept of 551- bracing the beam forming walls of the horizontal corrugations to resist shifting or distorting of the same from their initially set relative location, and thus maintain the car end as a whole in its initially designed configuration, another feature of the invention is to provide a system of corrugations which will form integral bracing struts, which will hold a wall of one horizontal corrugation fixedly connected at a plurality of points to the next adjacent wall of the contiguous horizontal corrugations, and in this way resist any tendency of all of the horizontal corrugations from shifting away from each other or otherwise tend to restore themselves to their original flat form.

The invention also has for an objective the providing of a system of intersecting corrugations which will maintain the structural strength of the crown portions of the several horizontal corrugations and thus leave the outer section of each horizontal corrugation as an unbroken beam.

Differently expressed, it has been found that a stronger car end can be produced if the portions of the vertical corrugations which hurdle the horizontal corrugations in the patented device were omitted while retaining the relatively short portions of the vertical corrugations in the troughs formed between the horizontal corrugations. Omitting the hurdling portions of the vertical corrugations and having the portions in the troughs abut at their opposite ends against the horizontal corrugations has been found to increase the resistance of the crown portions of the horizontal corrugations from moving outwardly at their centers under load. In this way the flat structure of the crown portions of the horizontal corrugations can be utilized to transmit strain directly to the corner posts without change in the structural design of the horizontal corrugation and thus avoid distension of the horizontal beams in a horizontal direction.

A novel feature of this invention is to provide one or more of the corrugations and particularly the vertical corrugations, either wholly or in part, as a beam in the form of a hollow tube, or, differently expressed, to interiorly reinforce or stiffen that corrugation or corrugations most liable to become distorted while in use with the reinforcement disposed to resist tendencies of the corrugation to flatten out or otherwise become distorted under load.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, and in part will be fully set forth in the following particular ill description of one form of structure embodying the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is .a view in elevation of the lower right hand half of a car end constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention and showing a part at the center broken away to disclose the normally hidden post forming reinforcement;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view constituting a detailed showing of one of the posts in its relation to a pair of adjacent horizontal beams or girders;

Figs. 3 and 4 are each horizontal sectional views taken respectively on the lines-33 and 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical edge view looking at the construction shown in Fig. 1 from the right hand side of the figure; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line l56 of Fig. 1 showing in longitudinal section the long bridging strip form of stiffening reinforcement.

The showing illustrates the lower right corner of a single plate or panel of which the lower left corner corresponds to the illustrated portion except for reversal in disposition of parts so that the car end will be symmetrical relative to a med'ial plane through the car. The plate thus described may extend upwardly for any desired distance, or, to the roof of the structure.

Referring to the drawings there is disclosed a substantially flat sheet metal plate or panel if] having an inturned side flange I! and a bottom flat uncorrugated edge portion l2 and which flange H is perforated to form bolt or rivet holes by means of which the panels are secured to adjacent structural parts of the car.

The plate is provided with two sets of corrugations to form a central reinforced area to the panel considered as a whole. One set of corrugations l3, sometimes called major corrugations, extends horizontally in parallel relation and these corrugations are substantially equi-distantly spaced apart considered vertically to form integral girders. The other set of corrugations l4, sometimes called minor corrugations, extend vertically in substantially equi-distantly spaced apart horizontal relation and coact in vertically aligned sets to form upstanding integral posts. The girder forming corrugations l3 are relatively much wider than the post forming corrugations i i .and both project in the same direction from the original plane of the sheet, hereinafter sometimes referred to as a plane of reference. These corrugations intersect each other at right angles to form an elongated block-like or checker-board design over the entire reinforced area of the car end within its marginal edges. It will be seen from Fig. 3 that the trough or channel l5 of each girder forming corrugation I3 is continuous across the entire reinforced area and in this case is straight from end to end.

The vertical or minor corrugations M are short straight sections confined to the troughs 2% formed between the horizontal corrugation 13; are of less depth than the horizontal corrugations and are disposed in sets with their troughs or channels It in vertical alignment and located on opposite sides of and opening into the channels l5. This means, of course, that a transverse cross section taken through a corrugation M at any point along its length will show the flat top, U-shaped or substantially U-shaped configuration shown at [9 in Figs. 3 and 4. Each post, considered as a whole, extends sectionally across each trough or uncorrugated space formed between adjacent pairs of the girder forming corrugations l3. The girder forming or major corrugations [3 are of maximum beam depth, that is, have their maximum horizontal ofiset at their mid-length to provide maximum strength at the longitudinal medial plane of the car and progressively decrease in depth from their centers towards their opposite ends as shown in the right half of Figs. 3 and 4. Maximum strength to resist bending of the car end is of greatest importance at the center of the car to resist strains from shifting loads in the car but this necessity rapidly diminishes towards the vertical edges of the car end.

There is disclosed herein a supplemental reinforcement illustrated in connection with the vertical, post-forming corrugations 14 as this is where such additional strength is most likely to be needed, but it is to be understood that the girders l3 may otherwise be bridged, their sides or walls tied together, and thus reinforced if it is desired to resist any tendency of the sides of the corrugations l3 to separate or the corrugations' otherwise to belly out under load.

The reinforcement is in the form of a long, vertically disposed, channel-shaped metal stiffening strip 2i, extending lengthwise of each of the aligned sets of corrugations I4, and bridged transversely across the troughs of the corrugations 13 as shown at 22 in Fig. 6. The channel strip forms a rear wall for the tubular part or post and its web 3| constitutes in effect a continuation of the uncorrugated portions [1 (see Figs. 2 and 4) and is disposed in the plane of the marginal portion l2 which defines the vertical plane of the sheet from which the panel was formed. The strip 2| is disposed as a Whole within the transversely projected outline of the corrugations l4 and at spaced apart points fits in the base of the trough of corrugations l4 at the fiat portions I! which form the uncorrugated places or troughs between the horizontal corrugations l3. The strip is secured in place as by welding its flanges to the inclined walls 23 of the corrugations M as indicated at 24 so that opposite sides of the tubular part are double walled as shown in Fig. 4. The strip may extend from top to bottom of the post forming corrugations l4 thus forming the post substantially in the for-m of a hollow tube as shown in section in Fig. 4.

It is a feature of this disclosure that the flat crown forming walls or webs 21 of the major corrugation l3 extend uninterruptedly from vertical edges to vertical edges of the panel and in this way transmit strains imposed at any point on the webs 2i directly to the two corner posts (not shown). The webs 21 increase slightly in vertical height from their midportion towards opposite ends. The fiat crown forming webs 28 of each of the minor corrugations I4, coact with their inclined side walls 23 to form a box-like brace which extends as a rigid brace abutting at its opposite end and merging at right angles into the opposing walls 29 and 30 of the corrugations E3 in normally spaced relation to the webs or crowns 21. The corrugations l4 thus form rigid struts, braces or filler pieces which extend across the spaces 26 and are fitted between the adjacent walls of contiguous corrugations [3.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A one-piece car end including a flat marginal portion defining a plane of reference, said end provided with two sets of intersecting corrugations projecting from one side of said plane, the corrugations of one set being each substan tially of uniform cross section for a major portion of its length and forming major corrugations, and the corrugations of the other set being confined to and thus not projecting beyond the troughs formed between adjacent parts of said first namedcorrugations and forming minor corrugations, the trough of each corrugation being of maximum width at said plane and progressively reducing in width outwardly from said plane and a reinforcing channel shaped element extending lengthwise of one of the sets of minor corrugations having its channel side facing the channel sides of the associated minor corrugation and coacting therewith to form a set of axially aligned tubular elements, each having the length of its associated minor corrugations and of substantially quadrilateral form in cross section providing a double thickness of material for opposite sides of each tubular element and single thickness of material for the other two opposing sides.

2. A sheet metal panel adapted to constitute a car end provided with means defining a plane of reference and with intersecting corrugations projecting from one side of said plane and forming a reinforced area of checker-board design, certain of the corrugations having a crown portion extending flatwise from end to end and defining the part of the panel most removed from said panel, and a strip of metal in said plane having spaced portions bridging across the troughs of said certain corrugations and having its remaining portions fitted in certain other corrugations for their entire lengths, secured thereto and coacting therewith to form aligned tubes on opposite sides of said bridged corrugations and integral channel shaped portions across the troughs of the bridged corrugations.

3. A car end having a corrugated area of one integral piece and including aset of vertically spaced apart outwardly projecting horizontal corrugations of substantially uniform cross sectional configuration, and a set of horizontally spaced apart outwardly projecting vertical corrugations disposed in the troughs between the horizontal corrugations and integrally connecting adjacent pairs of the horizontal corrugations, the troughs of certain of said vertical corrugations being of uniform cross sectional configuration, disposed in vertical alignment and spaced apart on opposite sides of troughs of each of the horizontal corrugations, and a channel shaped reinforcing strip disposed in the troughs of the vertically aligned corrugations bridging across the troughs for their entire lengths and across the troughs of the horizontal corrugations.

4. A car end having a corrugated area and including a pair of rigid, inflexible major corrugations extending continuously and without interruption from end to end entirely across said area without material change in their cross sectional configuration and other relatively short corrugations being each straight and of substantially uniform cross sectional configuration between its ends, contained entirely in the trough formed between said pair of major corrugations and having their opposite ends integrally connected to and projecting at right angles from said pair of major corrugations.

5. A corrugated sheet metal car Wall panel with two sets of corrugations, each set comprising parallel, spaced apart single corrugations and the corrugations of the two sets intersecting one by one to form a checkerboard design, each corrugation including a pair of inclined side walls connected by a fiat bottom wall and each corrugation being of substantially uniform, cross sectional configuration, the corrugations of one set being or" less depth than the corrugations of the other set, said corrugation of less depth each comprising aligned portions with their adjacent ends spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the corrugation of greater depth therebetween, said portions located entirely in the troughs formed by the contiguous side walls of adjacent corrugations of greater depth, whereby each side wall of each corrugation of greater depth forming one side of a trough is connected to the side wall forming the opposite side of the trough by a pair of relatively low walls forming the portion of the corrugation of less depth which extends across said trough.

6. A corrugated panel including horizontal and vertical corrugations intersecting to form a checkerboard design, one of said vertical corrugations including longitudinally spaced apart portions extending across the troughs formed by the horizontal corrugations and each portion including a pair of side walls extending at an angle to the plane of the panel, a channel shape reinforcing member fitted in. the channels of said vertical portions and extending across the channels of the horizontal corrugations, said reinforcing member having flanges conforming to and fitting against the said inclined side walls and capable of relative movement and coacting therewith to form a four-sided tubular member, the two opposite sides of which are doubled wall in direction at an angle to the plane of the panel and the other two sides of which are single walled in planes substantially parallel to the plane of the panel.

7. A one-piece corrugated sheet metal car end with an aligned set of the corrugations coacting to form a vertically extending post and other corrugations forming a plurality of horizontally extending girders, the vertical post forming corrugations having opposing inclined walls, a long channel-shaped metal stiifening strip extending lengthwise oi the ali ned sets of corrugations and bridged across the troughs of the girder forming corrugations, said strip having its two side flanges snugly fitted in troughs of the post forming corrugations, secured to the base portion of the inclined walls and spaced from the web of these corrugations thereby providing a double walled thickness of material at each side of the post and extending substantially normal to the plane of the car end to provide for increase in rigidity of the car end transversely of its plane and thus tend to resist buckling strains, the channel of the strip facing the channel of said post formin corrugations and coacting therewith to form a hollow four-sided reinforcement with a single thickness of material in the two sides thereof parallel to the plane of the car end, theremy to minimize in the amount of material in planes parallel to the plane of the car end and thus tend to avoid resistance to a desired degree of flexing of the car end.

8. A corrugated sheet metal car wall panel with a set of corrugations intersecting to form a checkerboard design, said corrugations each including a pair of inclined flat side walls and a fiat connecting web, and said panel comprising horizontal corrugations and aligned sets of vertical corrugations with channel shaped ends at their intersections with the walls of the horizontal corrugations and said vertical corrugations being each of uniform cross section from end to end, whereby the walls of two adjacent horizontal corrugations are reinforced and braced from each other by the walls of the vertical corrugations which lie between them.

9. A corrugated sheet metal car wall panel with a set of corrugations intersecting to form a checkerboard design, said corrugations each including a pair of inclined fiat side walls and a fiat connecting web, and said panel comprising horizontal corrugations and aligned sets of vertical corrugations with channel shaped ends at their intersections with the walls of the horizontal corrugations and said vertical corrugations being each of uniform cross section from end to end, whereby the walls of two adjacent horizontal corrugations are reinforced and braced from each other by the Walls of the vertical corrugations which lie between them, the vertical corrugations being of less depth than the horizontal corrugations.

ALEXANDER W. FRASER. 

